Strong Minds: A Digital Intervention Targeting Body Image and Psychological Well-being Among Adolescent Male Fitness Club Members (Strong Minds)

August 25, 2026 updated by: Christina Gjestvang, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Strong Minds: A Digital Intervention Targeting Body Image and Psychological Well-Being Among Adolescent Male Fitness Club Members

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether a digital intervention can improve body image and psychological well-being among adolescent boys who attend fitness clubs. Fitness club environments and social media often promote appearance ideals related to muscularity and leanness, which may contribute to body appearance pressure, body dissatisfaction, and psychological distress among boys.

In this cluster-randomized controlled trial, approximately 260 boys aged 15 to 18 years will be recruited from fitness clubs in Oslo, Norway. Participants from fitness clubs assigned to the intervention group will receive access to a 12-week website-based program consisting of four interactive modules focusing on body image, psychological well-being, critical social media literacy, and attitudes toward food and sports supplements. Participants in the control group will continue their usual activities.

The study will examine whether the intervention reduces internalization of appearance ideals and body appearance pressure and improves body appreciation, health-related quality of life, psychological well-being, social media-related behaviors, and attitudes toward food and sports supplements. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at a 6-month follow-up.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The prevalence of body image concerns among adolescent boys has increased in recent years, accompanied by growing internalization of appearance ideals emphasizing muscularity, leanness, and physical performance. Fitness clubs represent an important social and exercise arena for adolescent boys and may contribute both positively and negatively to psychological well-being. While regular physical activity is associated with health benefits, fitness club environments often expose young males to appearance-focused norms, body comparisons, and social influences reinforced through social media and commercial fitness culture. These factors may increase body appearance pressure, body dissatisfaction, unhealthy attitudes toward food and supplements, and vulnerability to psychological distress. Despite the increasing participation of adolescent boys in fitness clubs, few evidence-based interventions have been developed for this population.

The Strong Minds study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a digital intervention designed to promote positive body image and psychological well-being among adolescent male fitness club members. The intervention targets body image-related constructs, social media literacy, psychological well-being, and attitudes related to food and sports supplements. The study further seeks to examine mechanisms through which the intervention may influence outcomes, including body appreciation and social media-related processes.

The study will be conducted as a cluster-randomized controlled trial involving fitness clubs in Oslo, Norway. Fitness clubs will serve as the unit of randomization and will be allocated to either an intervention condition or a usual-routine control condition. Approximately 260 participants will be recruited. Data collection will occur at baseline, immediately following the intervention period, and six months after completion of the intervention.

Participants assigned to the intervention group will receive access to a website-based program delivered over 12 weeks. The intervention consists of four modules released at three-week intervals. To maximize engagement and feasibility, the intervention has been designed as a brief and interactive digital experience requiring approximately 75 minutes of total participation. Participants in the control group will continue their usual activities and will receive access to the intervention after study completion.

The intervention content has been developed using evidence-based approaches from body image prevention research, social media literacy interventions, positive psychology, embodiment theory, and sociocultural models of body image development. The website uses an interactive narrative format centered on realistic situations encountered by adolescent boys in fitness club settings. Through short episodes, quizzes, reflection exercises, and individualized feedback, participants are encouraged to critically evaluate appearance ideals, social media messages, body-related pressures, and health information encountered in everyday life. The intervention addresses four core themes: body image, psychological well-being, critical social media literacy, and attitudes toward food and sports supplements.

To enhance relevance, usability, and participant engagement, the intervention will be co-created with a Collaborative Competence Group consisting of young males with lived experience of body image concerns and/or disordered eating related to gym participation. User involvement will contribute to the development of content, design, language, functionality, and overall user experience.

Data will be collected through online questionnaires assessing body image-related constructs, body appreciation, health-related quality of life, psychological distress, social media use and appearance comparison, food-related attitudes, attitudes toward sports supplements, exercise habits, and demographic characteristics. Intervention adherence will be monitored through website analytics, including module completion and login frequency.

The study is funded by the Dam Foundation through ROS (Counselling and Support for Eating Disorders). Ethical approval procedures have been completed in accordance with Norwegian regulations, and all participants will provide informed consent before participation. The findings from the Strong Minds study will contribute to knowledge regarding scalable and accessible strategies for promoting positive body image and psychological well-being among adolescent boys in fitness club environments.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
260

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Cisgender boy
  • Aged 15 to 18 years
  • Current member of a fitness club
  • Attends the fitness club at least once per week
  • Able to read and understand Norwegian
  • Provides informed consent (parental/guardian consent required for participants younger than 16 years)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Does not meet one or more of the inclusion criteria
  • Not able to provide informed consent
  • Previously enrolled in the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Digital intervention
Participants assigned to the intervention arm will receive access to a website, a 12-week digital intervention designed to promote positive body image and psychological well-being among adolescent male fitness club members. The intervention consists of four interactive modules released every three weeks and addresses body image, psychological well-being, critical social media literacy, and attitudes toward food and sports supplements. Modules include brief narrative-based content, quizzes, personalized feedback, and reflection exercises. Total engagement time is approximately 75 minutes across the 12-week intervention period.
Other: Website
Participants assigned to the intervention arm will receive access to the Strong Minds website, a 12-week digital intervention designed to promote positive body image and psychological well-being among adolescent male fitness club members. The intervention consists of four interactive modules released every three weeks and addresses body image, psychological well-being, critical social media literacy, and attitudes toward food and sports supplements. Modules include brief narrative-based content, quizzes, personalized feedback, and reflection exercises. Total engagement time is approximately 75 minutes across the 12-week intervention period.
No Intervention: Control group
Participants assigned to the control condition will continue their regular exercise and daily activities without receiving the Strong Minds intervention during the 12-week trial period. Outcome assessments will be conducted at the same time points as in the intervention group (baseline, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up). Access to the digital intervention will be provided after completion of the randomized controlled trial.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Internalization
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Internalization of appearance ideals (Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 [SATAQ-4]). This outcome assesses the extent to which participants adopt societal appearance ideals related to muscularity, leanness, and low body fat as personal standards for evaluating their own appearance. Internalization is measured using the relevant SATAQ-4 subscales. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (definitely disagree) to 5 (definitely agree), with higher scores indicating greater internalization of societal appearance ideals. The outcome will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Body appearance pressure
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Body appearance pressure measured using the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 Revised (SATAQ-4R). Scores range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater perceived appearance-related pressure from media and sociocultural influences.
Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Body appreciation
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
The extent to which participants respect, accept, and value their bodies and maintain a positive body image despite societal appearance pressures.
Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Social Media use
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Self-reported social media use, including platform(s) used, frequency of use per day, time spent on social media (hours/day), exposure to appearance-related content, appearance comparison, selfie posting, and motivations for use.
Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
General health-related quality of life.
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Self-reported health-related quality of life measured using the KIDSCREEN-10 questionnaire. Higher scores indicate better quality of life and well-being.
Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Psychological distress
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Psychological distress assessed using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 (HSCL-10). The HSCL-10 is a self-report measure of symptoms of anxiety and depression. The total score is calculated as the mean of the 10 items, with response options ranging from 1 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). Scores range from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress and a worse outcome.
Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Food-related attitudes.
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Food-related attitudes and behaviors assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). The EAT-26 is a self-report measure of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors associated with eating-related concerns and disordered eating. The total score ranges from 0 to 78, with higher scores indicating more problematic eating attitudes and behaviors and a worse outcome. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Attitudes towards sports supplements
Time Frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.
Questions regarding anabolic steroids, testosterone preparations, growth hormone, ephedrine, and Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMS)) [GU33.1]based on Ungdata, an annual Norwegian data collection scheme.
Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2028

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 18, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 25, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Strong Minds
  • #SDAM_FOR999270 (Other Grant/Funding Number: The Dam Foundation)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data that have been de-identified, including demographic characteristics, outcome measures, and questionnaire data underlying the published results, will be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request following publication of the main study findings. Data sharing will be conducted in accordance with applicable ethical approvals, data protection regulations, and FAIR data principles.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 6 months after publication of the primary study results with no predefined end date.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Access to de-identified individual participant data will be provided to qualified researchers upon reasonable request. Researchers must submit a methodologically sound research proposal and may be required to sign a data access agreement. Requests will be reviewed by the study investigators to ensure compliance with ethical approvals, applicable data protection regulations, and institutional policies. Data will be shared only for research purposes consistent with the objectives of the original study.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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